Silo Ridge - Harlem Valley Times

3/13/2008 - Residents split at Silo Ridge hearing; economic benefits a plus, but financial feasibility a concern.

Amenia
Residents split at Silo Ridge hearing; economic benefits a plus, but financial feasibility a concern.
3/13/2008
By: Jennifer Barry, Staff Reporter

AMENIA - The continuation of the public hearing on the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for the proposed Silo Ridge resort community was held on March 5.

Community members were invited to the Silo Ridge Country Club to take the podium and share their questions, concerns or support with planning board members and fellow residents.

The planned development will include a 300-unit resort hotel, spa, restaurants, an 18-hole golf course, and a winery, as well as 359 condominiums and single family homes.

The meeting was opened by Amenia Town Attorney Michael Hayes, who explained the steps that the board must go through to follow the State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQRA) process.

As in the Nov. 17 hearing, he expressed the importance of public awareness throughout the process.

The DEIS has been available for public viewing since Dec. 7, providing an opportunity for all interested parties to view the document and begin framing questions for the hearing.

As in the previous hearing, the meeting was not a question and answer period, but rather a forum for members of the public to bring their voice to the process.

Over 20 people spoke, with some in full support of the proposed project and others with concerns.


Positive comments

Many who spoke in favor of the development were hoping to see Silo Ridge bring economic benefits to the community, while others focused on the benefits of the wastewater treatment plant that Millbrook Ventures will be donating to the town in the project.

The $7 million facility will serve the proposed resort, but also have the capacity to help the town create a sewer system, which will allow for an expanded business district and the possible creation of a proposed "walkable" town center.

"The wastewater plant, tourism, and tax revenue will give Amenia a boost," said Tim Osborne. "Silo Ridge is a jewel in our midst."

"If Silo Ridge didn't build the treatment plant, the cost would not pass a vote," said Amenia Town Supervisor Wayne Euvard. "(Silo Ridge) could bring back the Amenia I knew growing up. It will bring taxes into the town, into the county and into the schools. Money will be spent in the community and Amenia could become the kind of place where I would be proud to bring friends and relatives down for a tour."

Others, like David McMillan, pointed out that with the hotel, spa and restaurants, jobs could come into the area for the high school and college-age population.

Peter Clair shared that, with Amenia's current business economy, his oldest son cannot find a job. "Get behind Silo Ridge," Clair said.


Community concerns

The biggest concerns pertaining to the DEIS and the Master Development Plan (MDP) for Silo Ridge had to do with the view from the hairpin turn on DeLaVergne Hill , the size and scope of the community and the financial feasibility of the proposed development.

"(The DEIS) is so big and complex, it's difficult to know what's going on," said Steven Benardete. "The project doesn't make economic sense. Golf season in this region is fairly short, and with competing developments we need to look at the number of units and their estimated price. There is $1-2 billion of residential real estate in the proposed Silo Ridge Development alone."

Benardete also further questioned the developer's financial ability to see the project through to the end.

"We need to challenge the Silo Ridge developers to see if they think this is really a viable project," said Benardete. "Can they put up a financial bond which is forfeited if there is not reasonable progress?"

Tonia Shoumatoff brought up the cumulative impact of developments currently planned for the area.

"The cumulative impact of all of the resorts coming in on our watershed should be considered," said Shoumatouff. "Also, please consider the changes in ecology of the area from these developments and how it will affect our native species."

Cheryl Morse brought up concerns about the environmental damage that could be caused in the construction process.

"Disturbing the golf course that might have pesticide residue from a time when they were in use is a community and environmental defense issue," Morse said. "Also if the turf grass is converted into residential lawn, those pesticide residues can be toxic to children and pets."

Morse also cited a Web site, www.ceds.org, that helps small towns mitigate flawed development plans.

On the site it states "If a course is more than two or three decades old then there is a possibility that residues of highly-toxic and very persistent pesticides remain. The residues may be sufficiently high to be of concern if the soils are eroded into nearby waterways during the construction phase or if children play on greens converted to residential lawns."

Elizabeth Whaley of Wassaic asked residents and planning board members alike to carefully study the DEIS and the MDP, citing specifically section 3.6, which is the section on visual resources.

"Do the research, read the DEIS," Whaley said. "Get passion behind the facts, not just how you feel."

"On page 29 of section 3.6, the picture of the water tank does not portray how much of the hill has to be destroyed in order to embed it," Whaley said. "Page 35 of section 3.6 shows a huge impact on the hill by the building of town houses."

Additionally she asked the planning board to consider the preservation of the view on DeLaVergne Hill, as it has been a favored view of residents and visitors alike for hundreds of years.

Bartle Bull stated that there were tens of thousands of developments similar to Silo Ridge that were halted midway through the process because they proved to be infeasible financially.

Several other residents also asked the planning board to carefully research similar developments in states like Arizona and Florida, where the golf season is much longer than in New York, that still fell through in the end due to overwhelming development costs.

The hearing wrapped after an hour and a half of comment by the public.

Planning Board Chairman George Fenn said that he had anticipated more people voicing their opinions and concerns at the hearing.

"All of the concerns brought up were legitimate and the planning board will certainly research these concerns as fully as possible," said Fenn.

Fenn also said that Hayes is now looking into how much the town of Amenia can insist that Silo Ridge developers disclose their financial projections to the board.

The public has 20 days from the March 5 hearing to submit written comment regarding the DEIS to the planning board.

All posed questions and concerns will be addressed in the Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS).

The FEIS will be circulated to the public, as well, at which time the public will have a minimum of 10 days to submit comment.

For now, the DEIS is still on display for the public at the Amenia Town Hall and the Amenia Library, or on the Web at www.siloridgeseqra.com.